By Christy | The Practicing Pro
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On Sept 8th, 2022, the world’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died aged 96. She was a symbol of steadfast courage and hope. I grew up with a Queen I know as “Queen Elizabeth.”
We can learn many things from Queen Elizabeth II and her life. When I decided to do a Blog and activity in honour of her at our school, I started by taking out a piece of paper and writing down the first words and thoughts that came to mind when I thought of her. Then I looked online and read articles of tribute to her. I went back to my list and underlined the ones that still resonated the most with me.
I decided on these five:
Serving others
Stamina
Adaptable
Faith & Family Oriented
Bringing Hope to others
Serving others
She believed in service. She dedicated her whole life to serving her country and its people.
She became the Queen at a very young age and took her role as the Queen and the responsibilities that went with it very seriously. She was also a wife, mother, and grandmother.
In a famous speech she made as a young lady, she said, "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service."
I am attaching a short youtube clip of this speech. Suppose you are unfamiliar with the queen and her life or have never heard her speak. In that case, this is an excellent way to take under 1 minute and feel in this simple statement her sincere dedication at a young age, realizing now, about 70 years later, that this commitment to serve others never wavered.
This sense of duty and service is something we can all learn from the Queen. We may not all be in a position to serve our country as she did, but we can all find ways to serve our community and make a difference in the lives of others around us.
Stamina
Queen Elizabeth II faced so many challenges, both at home and abroad. She had constant scrutiny and criticism and always stayed calm and composed. She had challenges, including war, terrorist attacks, economic recessions, and, most recently, the coronavirus pandemic. Through all these years, she has always remained a leader that has given calm assurance to those around her. She drew strength from her faith.
She once said, "I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example."
Queen Elizabeth II has been an example to all to be resilient and find strength in your faith, values, and beliefs.
Adaptable
My own mother is in her 80s. I have listened to her struggles and seen her adapt to social and technological changes. It's hard. The Queen adapted to these changes gracefully and kept up with the times.
At 96 years old, she still used social media to keep up with others and connect with people worldwide. The queen was an example to us that you can adapt and learn no matter how old. Rather than hold on to the past, she was always willing to embrace progress and move forward.
Faith & Family Oriented
Queen Elizabeth II was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and made time for her loved ones no matter how busy she was with her royal duties.
During her wedding anniversary speech in 1972, Queen Elizabeth II said, "If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction, I am for it."
Over forty years later, she said, "The importance of family has, of course, come home to Prince Philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the God-given love that binds a family together.”
Bringing Hope to others
She believed in hope.
When I listen to the queen speaking, I love that she talks about hope in every situation. When things were happening during a difficult period of time in the world, she asked people to be unified, have hope, and look ahead to better times. During the pandemic, she reminded everyone that we would be together again with our families and that better days were coming.
In a recent speech at the Queen's Golden Jubilee message in 2002, she said, "I believe that young or old, we have as much to look forward to with confidence and hope as we have to look back on with pride.”
Today in Canada, we are mourning the loss of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II. As a young girl, I would join my classmates in elementary school to sing “God save our gracious Queen.”
She will be missed by people all over the world. She served others her whole life; she was adaptable with so much stamina, believed in families and gave hope to others.
We can celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s life by learning more about her and listening to her voice. Let’s be inspired by her strengths and teach our children about her.
The young Queen's voice declares dedication. It touches my heart and makes me feel I can be more dedicated to those I serve in my life. Be more dedicated to my family, neighbours, school students, and you.
This week's practice activity is to get to know the queen a little better—some pages to colour and a practice activity to print, colour, and/or add jewels.
How to use the activity:
Having the Fact sheet printed and handy. Warm up, and after each review song, ask a question. There are six questions for each of your six review songs at your practice.
Print the crown. I used thicker card stock. After each drill spot, add a jewel to your crown. You can stick it on quickly at the practice as they work hard, OR they can collect them and, after practice, colour the crown and add them later.
Pick up a bag of plastic jewels at any craft store OR make your own from the PDF I have included or cut them out from any coloured paper. you have at home.
HINT: use a hole punch to make it fast and easy.
PDF downloads
Check out my Free PDF download Checklist for a Successful Music Practice for teachers and practicing parents.
Your easy checklist for successful home music practices from Christy, the practicing pro. Whether you are a new or seasoned practice parent or music teacher, this checklist will help you organize before, during, and after practices for effective and fun practices.
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